Your first child

Post Reply New Topic

I second the co-sleeping idea. There are many safe ways to do it. I'm currently cosleeping with my 4th child. (I'm pregnant with my 5th, 30 weeks along) The youngest (18 months) is in my bed, and I have 3 children (11, 6, and 3) that have transitioned into their own beds just fine.

In case you go that route, I have some breastfeeding advice. No smoking is best, however its recommended that you still breastfeed if you smoke over using formula. I'm just throwing that out there because a lot of mothers don't realize that. Personally I haven't smoked while pregnant or nursing.

A drink here or there is also fine while nursing and there is no need to "pump and dump" your breast milk.

Breastfeeding does hurt in those first days or weeks. Your nipples might even bleed. (it happens!) But I promise that it does get better. (and if it doesn't get better, or you feel hot and feverish, or your breasts are sensitive to the touch or red looking.. call your doctor because you might have mastitis or thrush.) Don't think the pain will last forever, it won't. Drink lots of water! You'll need it!

Always buy more 3-6 and 6-9 month sizes than any other ones. The newborn cutsey stuff never lasts long. Many babies are too big when they're born to fit into the newborn sizes at all! Skip the shoes. Babies don't need shoes of any kind. If its cold, just put some socks on them.

Don't buy a breastpump right away unless you know you are returning to work. You want to establish your milk supply before you start using the pump. And a pump always is less efficient than a baby is. In the same idea, don't start using bottles right away either.

Don't feel you have to give baby food at all. Many parent don't! (I didn't) The usual age to start foods is when baby learns to sit up, and not before that as it can contribute to food allergies and obesity. Sitting up is a sign that baby is ready to swallow foods and be independent eating. You can start them right on table foods that the rest of the family eats just cut up smaller.

Don't skimp on a baby stroller. If you're going to buy one, buy a good one that has great reviews.

No matter what carseat you use, don't put any aftermarket products in the seat even if they claim to be safe. #1 they havent been tested for safety and #2 they can void your warranty.

Check up into wearing a sling or a wrap, especially when your baby is tiny. I love Hotslings.com for baby pouches in very pretty patterns and fabrics.

You don't have to buy all the baby furniture before the baby. Sometimes you don't know what you need until the baby is here. Maybe you loved that swing, but the baby only wants you to hold her.

Bring sweatpants and loose clothing to the hospital after the baby is born. You might feel skinnier cause the HUGE belly has gone down a bit... but chance are you won't be able to fit into your old clothes and it will be depressing to try.

Your breasts will leak no matter if you nurse or not. If you decide NOT to nurse, you'll have to wait it out for your milk to dry up. No stimulation, face away from the shower, use cold cabbage on them to make them feel better, tylenol for pain, and breastpads for leakage.

You will bleed afterwards, even if you had a C-section.

Thats all I've got for the moment! If I think of more I'll come back tomorrow. Hope that helped!

Looking after a child was so much easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would be horrible. But I actually got compliments on how good a mother I was. A pleasant surprise for once in my life instead of an unpleasant one.

Hi Bella, I hope you are feeling well, are you still pregnant or is baby here? If baby is here already I hope the birth went well and you are both doing okay.

The best thing I did was to read a book called "Baby Talk" by Dr Sally Ward. It tells you how to talk to your baby and play with them from birth to four years. There are lists of toys and books for each age, and what games to play and so on. But basically the advice was play with your baby alone in a quiet room with plenty of toys for thirty minutes every day, watching closely to see what they are interested in and talking about that, and copying the sounds they make. It's pure magic!

Next best thing I did was hold my baby over a bucket or the toilet every time I changed her nappy, and whisper "wee-wee" or "poo-poo" depending what she did. She got the idea straight away, and life was so much easier as a result - very few poopy nappies ever, and potty trained at 19 months. Google "elimination communication".

Third best thing was to join a web forum of mothers whose babies were born the same month as my daughter. I learned so much from them. Any time I have a question, I ask them, it's much easier to compare notes than with the mothers I know in the real world for some reason.

HTH

I think you will be surprised how naturally everything comes. I had the book "What to Expect the First Year" and it was a great book!! Very helpful! There are tons of sites that are helpful too. One favorite of mine is www.kellymom.com . Another is www.askdrsears.com . If you have sleep troubles The Happiest Baby on the Block is a great book.

Good luck! You'll do great!

Thanks again everyone. I still have 5 weeks to go until the due date. *smiles* It goes so quickly.